Dad Catches Foul Ball - Toddler Throws it Back

Oh toddlers. This clip from Tuesday's Phillies - Nationals game is fantastic. Dad lunges over the railing and snags a foul ball. Dad is psyched. He gives a couple of high fives and hands the prize to his daughter. She promptly throws the ball back on the field. Oooops!

Earlier Start Times for ALCS and World Series

Thank you Fox. (Never said that before.)

Do Androids Dream of Balls and Strikes?

How long before Major League Baseball just cuts to the chase and hires robots to call balls and strikes? The New York Times reports:

"An improved camera system to monitor umpires’ calls of balls and strikes will be used in all 30 major league stadiums starting opening day, ending the contentious QuesTec era but expanding the scope of baseball’s oversight program...The new system, called Zone Evaluation, relies on pitch-tracking data already collected by cameras in all 30 parks and distributed through applications on MLB.com and iTunes."

If Major League umpires are expected to mimic computer generated data when they call a ball or a strike, then why is a human necessary in the process at all? Why not just set up a laptop behind home plate and program it to flash a red light for a strike and a green light for a ball?

I pitched for my college team. Part of the strategy was to "know the umpire" -- each ump had his or her own strike zone aberrations. Was it occasionally frustrating? Yes, but the "human factor" is an essential part of baseball's charm. When an umpire blows a call, we are interested in it, we write about it, we talk about it, we lament it. Perfection is uninspiring.

Bring the humans back.

Own a Piece of Yankees Sod (or not)

A Patch of Green: Yankees Grass Is Now a Brand

Darvish Article

Check out this article in today's New York Times about 22-year-old Japanese pitcher, Yu Darvish.

Former Mets pitcher, Masato Yoshii, -- who is familiar with both Darvish and Daisuke Matsuzaka -- says that Darvish is "more talented" than Matsuzaka and "he has exceptional control of every pitch known to man except a knuckleball." Wow.

Darvish isn't a free agent until 2014, so there would be a posting fee involved if he wants to pitch in the United States before that. Maybe the Red Sox should start saving up?

There are videos of Darvish over at Darvis Watch and we will get a chance to see him pitch for Japan in the World Baseball Classic in March.

The Last Piece of Shea Stadium is Demolished

This video is a tear-jerker. Seriously.

No Deal for Manny Yet

Awww. Nobody wants Manny. Sniffle sniffle. The Worcester Tornadoes offered him a two year contract worth $24,000. Maybe he should sign there.

Back...Back...Back Challenge

An individual with an extremely high threshold for pain compiled these audio highlights of Chris Berman's home run calls from the Home Run Derby Monday night.

Here's the challenge: See if you can get through the entire 1:42 seconds of the clip without turning it off or putting on earmuffs. (Your sound must be turned on!) I made it through 51 seconds which I think is pretty darn impressive.
Hat tip to Awful Announcing for the link.

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It was blood

I bet Orioles play by play announcer, Gary Thorne, didn't know that he'd unleash the wrath of Red Sox Nation with his comment about Curt Schilling during Wednesday's Orioles - Red Sox broadcast:

"The great story we were talking about the other night was that famous red stocking that he wore when they finally won -- the blood on his stocking. Nah. It was painted. Doug Mirabelli confessed up to it after. It was all for PR."

Mirabelli's response:

"What? Are you kidding me? He's [expletive] lying. A straight lie. I never said that. I know it was blood. Everybody knows it was blood."

Thorne is from Bangor, Maine so I'm not sure how or when it happened, but he must be a closet Yankees fan. There is no other explanation for his comments.

The Joy of Sox has the whole story and Jere has the video. Gordon Edes even has testimony from Schilling's orthopedist.

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"slowly climbing up, quickly flying down"

(Photo by tollerSCREAM. See more of her wonderful photos here.)

I learned two things today: 1) Pope John Paul II was an Honorary Harlem Globetrotter (thanks Dan!) and 2)The Red Sox won't always play like that magical, inspired, unbeatable team we saw over the weekend.

That was ugly tonight, wasn't it? It's April and we've officially boarded the roller coaster. Hang on.

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A few notes from today:

The Red Sox are 2-4 on Mondays and Tuesdays this season and 10-3 Wednesday-Sunday. What's the deal with that?

Jason Varitek has donated the bat he used on Sunday to hit the Red Sox fourth consecutive home run to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The ESPN footage of the four home runs is up on YouTube if you get the urge to watch it again. I did.

37,161 was the announced attendance at the Sox game tonight--the largest crowd since the World War II era. Wow. (I'm not sure why, but I just had the urge to add up those numbers 3+7+1+6+1 and they equal 18. Oooooh.)

The Yankees are in last place in the American League East.


The title of this post is from the poem "Roller Coaster" by Dean Thorpe.
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Birds sing, knuckleballs dance (or something)

Photo by Flickr user gocarrt

Hey! We won in Toronto. The Red Sox took Tomo "I don't care about Matsuzaka" Okha deep three times and Tim Wakefield pitched another gem. Take a look at the number of runs that the Sox have allowed in the first thirteen games of the season--starting with Game 1 in Kansas City: (7, 1, 1, 2, 4, 2, 3, 3, 1, 0, 2, 2, 1). Impressive.

Today! Tavarez (0-1, 9.00) vs Halladay (2-0, 2.35) 12:37 pm ET / 9:37 am PT

It will be scrambled eggs, bacon and baseball* for those of us on the West Coast. Let's hope that the "reverse lock" theory** is in full effect.


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* Possibly a couple of slices of whole wheat toast and a little bit of work too.
**Games that appear to be a lock for one team (Blue Jays/Halladay) often go the other way (Red Sox/Tavarez).
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Sunday Links: Jackie, Japan & A Bear Suit

Here are ten links for your Sunday afternoon. This is the extended blizzard/nor'easter/excessive rainfall/strong winds/coastal flooding edition for our friends on the East Coast.
"Before and After Jackie" [YouTube]
Sean Pamphilon, director of the documentary "playing with RAGE," on Jackie Robinson. (via Ballhype)

"Making Sox-Yanks hit home in Japan" [Boston Globe]
"In the days leading up to this week's inaugural Red Sox-Yankees matchup for the 2007 season, four major Japanese newspapers will run promotions from Major League Baseball asking readers to pick a side. Boston or New York? Matsuzaka or Matsui? Monster or Godzilla?"

"Is MLB destroying Japan's national pastime?" [Japan Times]
There are two sides to every story.

"It's Not What You Think" [ESPN Commerical]
Wally the Green Monster catches David Ortiz wearing a Yankees hat.

"Mets Playing 'Sweet Caroline' In 8th Innings" [Joy of Sox]
Did the Mets rip off a Fenway tradition?

"Best Gear Ever for a Cold Day" [Boston Dan]

"Mnookin: Another Crazed Night At Fenway" [Deadspin]

"Bonds is wrong to wear No. 42" [ESPN Page 2]
"Now in his 22nd major league season, Bonds' track record in areas of race and sports is, to be polite, abysmal. Here is a man who, according to infinite associates and peers, has rarely -- if ever -- gone out of his way to assist a rookie African-American teammate trying to find his way; who sees young black fans not as potential heirs to the game, but as autograph-seeking gnats to be insulted or dismissed."

Alyssa Milano has a baseball blog. Wheee!

Pack your bagel on a CD spindle. Isn't this just the greatest idea since sliced bread?

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Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

MLB, Cable Reach Extra Innings Deal (from MLB.com):

"Major League Baseball announced today that iN DEMAND has entered into a seven-year agreement in principle to carry the MLB EXTRA INNINGS subscription package of out-of-market games and will distribute the MLB Channel, which is scheduled to launch in January 2009."

"The MLB EXTRA INNINGS subscription package of out-of-market games is currently available to DIRECTV subscribers. iN DEMAND owners Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable have agreed to carry the package, effective immediately."

Even though it was an absolute HOOT to watch Wednesday's Red Sox game on MLB.tv, hunched over the crappy picture on my computer, my head aching, eyes red and swollen, extremities bloated...OK gross. Just kidding. It wasn't quite that horrible, but I'm psyched that I'll be able to subscribe to Extra Innings via cable. If only I can get the subscription activated in time for Dice-K's first Major League start today...

Update 11:20 pm PT: Wow! EI is already activated on Comcast.

By the way: The Sox game itself was great.

Thanks to Chris for calling me with the good news!
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It's been a bit of a wacky news day for former Red Sox:

Former Red Sox closer, Ugueth Urbina, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempted murder.

Grady Little, infamous Red Sox manager, has traded his number "9" for a custom made motorcycle. (via Fanhouse) I can't quite conjure up the image of Grady on a motorcycle.

Jose Canseco has announced the inception of his own reality tv show, A DAY WITH JOSE, in which contestants will compete for a day with...him.

Really. Eeew.

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Nuts!

I'm hoping that one of the guys who reads this blog can explain this phenomenon.

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Ouch!

Ouch! Thank you double helmet ear flaps.

(via Red Sox Monster)

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Get that new guy a pair of batting gloves, seriously

We're not under the misguided impression that Daisuke Matsuzaka is a superhero -- really -- although we don't think he'd look completely out of place behind the wheel of the Batmobile. We are however, impressed by his "superhuman skillset": 1) He can chug 2) He can pitch and now 3) Red Sox Monster has unearthed this video of Matsuzaka going deep in Japan. Daisuke can hit!

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"Anger, a spark, within all of us"

It gets my goat (as they say) when Red Sox fans are portrayed as the primary "fuel" behind the Red Sox - Yankees rivalry. For example, take a look at these comments from Joe Torre in today's NY Post:

"I thought some of the anger would subside,'' Torre said before the clubs played at City of Palms Park. "Sometimes you have to remind Red Sox fans they did win the World Series, but they still maintain that personality. I mean I love Boston, don't get me wrong, but the anger that has been built up there over the years, it's still the same. There is still a lot of resentment toward the Yankees and that's what fuels the whole rivalry.''

Patronizing? Yes. As evidence that this "anger" is far from one sided, I'd like to present this YouTube video of a Red Sox fan braving the bleachers at Yankee stadium:

Title from poem "Anger x 14" by Joe Fazio
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It's only Spring Training, but...

Photo by Flickr user DJheini

We're still twenty-one agonizing days removed from "real" baseball -- but hey -- the Red Sox and Yankees play tonight! The Sox are rolling out a potential opening day lineup (minus Schilling and Varitek). Carl Pavano will be on the mound for the Yankees, Daisuke Matsuzaka will "definitely say hello" to Hideki Matsui and we'll be drinking Red Hook Blonde Ale*. It should be fun.

Tonight: Spring Training Red Sox vs. Yankees 7:05 ET/4:05 PT, NESN

*Just tried Red Hook Blonde this weekend and it is a surprisingly delicious, "goes well with wings" style baseball-watching beer. Yumm.
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"40 to 50 Percent" and Climbing

Photo from Yahoo sports

Below, in case you missed it, is the line from Daisuke Matsuzaka's spring training outing on Tuesday against the Florida Marlins.

After the game, this is what Matsuzaka had to say about his performance (through an interpreter):

"My readiness for the season is difficult to judge from the outside. I'm probably 40 to 50 percent there."

40 to 50 percent? Is it Opening Day yet?

Update: I'd rather not stroke "gyro-mania," but there are some great quotes in the Boston Herald today from Florida Marlins batters who faced Matsuzaka:

"In Matsuzaka’s Red Sox debut against major leaguers, two Marlins - Jason Stokes and Jeremy Hermida - said they saw a pitch that had movement and action unlike any other pitch they had ever seen before."

"Hermida saw it three times, Stokes once and the UFO broke down and away to the left-handed hitting Hermida and in on the hands of Stokes."

"The ball spun in a clock-wise direction, or reverse to what they are used to. It had a screwball-like rotation that left them shaking their heads."

“It’s a pitch that’s somewhere between a changeup and a splitter but it’s got a sideways spin,” said Stokes. “It’s like a split, but it’s slower, more movement.”

“He threw four different pitches to me - a fastball, slider, gyro and curve,” said Stokes. On the gyro, “He threw it up and in. I could see it was obviously a ball right away. I’m thinking ‘Get out of the way.’ It kind of backs up on you.”

The gyroball may or may not exist, but when Major League hitters refer to a pitch as a "UFO" that carries some weight.
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Nomah!

I can't quite get rid of that "soft spot" for Nomar Garciaparra or for his propensity for quirkiness-- the tireless glove adjustments, the toe tapping at home plate -- that's why I love this Nomar nugget from Bradford on Baseball:

"One of the odder sights of the other day was a close examination of Garciaparra's hat. As has been noted, spring training hats have had an elastic area on each side this year in the shape of a little arch. Well, Garciaparra, for whatever reason, decided to wear his normal in-season hat, but painted little white arches on the side to give the impression he was wearing the spring training lids."

Nomah.

On a semi-related note, when I ran a Google Image search for "Nomar," the results returned multiple photos of domestic animals with the name "Nomar." For example, let me introduce "Nomar" the parrot:

"Nomar"

Do each of these pets have a dad named "Ramon" or can we theorize that these "Nomars" live on in New England as evidence of Garciaparra's glory days in Boston?

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Tonight, There will be Baseball

(Photo by Beauty Playin 'Eh - Check out her baseball photos here.)

Granted, it is an exhibition game, but tonight the blue seats at City of Palms Park will be full. When you turn on your television at 7:00, Don Orsillo's big happy head will be there to great you. At 7:05, there will be live baseball on NESN. It's officially time to fire up the rally wings and switch your robotic beer launching fridge to the "on" position. Here-we-go...!


Hat tip to Trivia Guy for the link to the fridge.
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Sunday Links: Interpreters, Video Games & Bugs Bunny

Here are five links for your Sunday afternoon:

"Interpreters in Baseball Making Sure Nothing Is Lost in Translation" [New York Times] Everything you ever wanted to know about Japanese interpreters (and a little bit more).

"Bats and Bytes Part 1: Early Baseball Video Games" [Bugs & Cranks]
Bugs & Cranks takes a look back at pre-1982 baseball video games. If you've ever held an Atari joystick, this is a must read.

"Measuring Spring Training Cliches" [Roto Authority]
Roto Authority is "systematically tracking" all MLB players who have arrived at spring training either "bulked up" or "slimmed down" to find out which players actually perform better in 2007. For the record, Red Sox second baseman, Dustin Pedroia, will be among the tracked.

"Wells weighs in on Boston" [Boston.com]
David Wells offers some insight into what life is like "off the field" as a Red Sox player: "It was the worst. You go to a mall with your kids and you have people always wanting to take pictures. They should call it 'Picturetown' not 'Beantown.'" Ouch.

"Bugs Bunny, greatest banned player ever" [U.S.S. Mariner]
As a good citizen of Seattle (I finally converted to a Washington State drivers license!), I try to keep up with a few Seattle Mariners blogs in addition to my daily Red Sox blog/news intake. In one of my all-time favorite blog posts, U.S.S. Mariner analyzes (in excruciating detail) Looney Tunes' "Baseball Bugs" (1946) -- Gas House Gorillas vs Tea Totallers. The post is almost a year old, but it was recently selected for the 2007 Best American Sportswriting annual so I thought I'd post a link to it. Congrats U.S.S. Mariner!

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Perhaps he'll throw the Gyro

Wow! It was fun to watch Dice-K's press conference Thursday. If you haven't seen it, you can check it out here. Even with the grand ol' language barrier, it was evident that Matsuzaka is charismatic and likeable. For example, when asked if he would throw the so-called gyro ball, this was his response:

"[Giggles] How should I answer? [Giggles] I knew this question was coming today. And I was preparing some optional answers for this particular question. Should I say, 'I have that [pitch].' Or I could say, 'Which particular [pitch] are you referring to?' [Giggles] Overall, if I have the chance, I will pitch that ball."

Here are few more highlights from the press conference:

• What would his first Major League pitch be? "I would like to pitch a fastball. That will be my first [pitch] to throw. I would like my first batter, if he is listening, please try and not hit the ball."
  

• How would he deal with the pressure of his large contract? "The scale of the contract does not determine how I play baseball I feel responsibility a little bit, but I am not pressured. I have received a lot of expectations all my life but I always remember the most important thing for me is to play ball and have fun. And I have done so and I will keep doing so and by doing so I will meet everybody's expectations."

• Dice-K had dinner with Ichiro in the off-season and they "talked about life in the United States."

• He is learning English: "In order to get along well with my teammates, communication is very important, and I would like to learn English -- and I am learning English as we speak."

• A new pitch? Matsuzaka might try to learn the knuckleball from Tim Wakefield: "If I can keep my form and can still pitch a knuckleball, it would be very advantageous for me, I tried it in Los Angeles and it didn't work out so well. So for now, I will keep that on the side."

The Matsuzaka Press Conference 2/15 [NESN.com]
"Matsuzaka shows his lighter side" [MLB.com]
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What the heck is this?

Is it me, or is this Sox hat really disturbing? Is that supposed to be blood dripping from the "B"?

via Red Reporter
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"Serenade Your Sweetie With Sausages"

How about this for a creative Valentine's Day gift: If you happen to live within 45 miles of Milwaukee's Miller Park you could have bid $650 for four Club Level tickets to a Brewers home game and the opportunity to have the "Famous Klement's Racing Sausages visit your spouse or significant other at their home or place of work to deliver a Valentine's present" between 1 and 2pm on February 14.

We know that there are at least five or six good sausage/Valentine's Day related jokes in there somewhere, but we'll just leave it at that.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hat tip to Deadspin.com
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"I want to play catch with him soon..."

The minute by minute Dice-K updates from the Boston Matsuzaka stalkers media contingent in Ft. Myers today were a bit...uhmm...excessive (omg he's wearing gray shorts!), but Matsuzaka did speak briefly as he departed the Red Sox training facility. Gordon Edes reports that Dice-K left the media circus with this cuddly quote about Jason Varitek (Matsuzaka's "favorite player"):

"I want to play catch with him soon, but maybe Mr. (Hideki) Okajima will be my first partner. I will try to communicate with Varitek as much as possible in order to have a good relationship. By talking to Varitek, I would like to know my teammates deeply.''

Aaawwwww.

"Departing Words" [Extra Bases]
"Matsuzaka Plays Catch!" [Clubhouse Insider]
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Sunday Afternoon Reading

Here are seven links for Sunday afternoon as we get psyched for the "Dice-K all day every day" media frenzy that will begin continue when Daisuke Matsuzaka arrives in Fort Myers this week. Sushi for dinner anyone?

"New England Japanese" [Matsuzaka Watch]
Mike Plugh explores the cultural bridge that Matsuzaka is likely to forge between the people of Boston and the nation of Japan. Good stuff.

"Matsuzaka factor Mobilizes Red Sox" [Boston.com]
"It is an open question how Daisuke Matsuzaka adjusts to the world of the Boston Red Sox, but it's clear how much the Sox have already transformed that world for their new Japanese pitcher, to a degree unprecedented for anyone else who has ever worn the uniform."

"Matsuzaka Masterpiece: Glimpses of Greatness in Arm of Teenager" [NY Times]
Jack Curry tells the story of Dice-K's gutsy 17 inning 200+ pitch performance as a high school pitcher in Japan.

"The 100 Greatest Red Sox" [Top 100 Red Sox Project]
A group of Red Sox bloggers have united to count down the top 100 Sox players in the history of the franchise. Today they've added #89 Butch Hobson and #90 Brian Daubach.

"Who Do You Love?" [Boston Dirt Dogs]
Vote for your favorite Red Sox since 1967.

"Making Noise: Batter Up! Is MLB Prepping for an Interactive IPO?" [Yahoo]
This article analyzes the business side of Major League Baseball's "Extra Innings" deal with DirecTV.

"Bill Veeck, Baseball Genius" [One More Dying Quail]
A New Hampshire blogger takes a unique look at baseball owner and promoter, Bill Veeck, who was best known for sending a midget to bat as a publicity stunt.


Dog and Newspaper Cartoon by Leo Cullum
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Bears=Jerks

I just watched all five of these wacky Super Bowl psych up videos: Bear vs Colt. (Hat tip to The700Level for the link.) I wonder what they would've done with Bear vs Patriot.

By the way, the Red Sox and Rockies have both announced that the Todd Helton trade talks are officially dead. Sigh.

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Sunday Afternoon Reading

Well...it's been a little while since we've stopped by here to put up any new material. In response to the "Are you dead?" emails we've received in our inbox: No, we're not dead. Let's just call it post-Christmas / pre-Spring Training writer's block. We're all geared up now though for the 2007 baseball season. How many days until the equipment truck leaves Yawkey Way?

Here are a few links for a cold Sunday afternoon:


("Gyroball" photo from SI.com)

"Unwinding the gyroball" [SI.com]
Brett Bull of SI.com explores "The physics behind the mysterious pitch and the burning question of whether Matsuzaka throws it."

"Seeking Edge in China, Yankees Put Baseball First" [New York Times]
The Evil Empire goes to China.

"Displaced Package" [Boston Sports Blog]
Major League Baseball has done a good job of making those of us who are "displaced" really "mad." I hope I can talk my brother into letting me Slingbox NESN from his cable. What is family for, right?

"Trade? Ask for Manny" [Denver Post]
Woody Paige is a lunatic.

"Who is the Official Mr. Ugly?" [View from the Bleachers]
Who is the ugliest man in baseball history? Randy Johnson has my vote...or maybe Jeff Weaver.

"The Power of Baseball Blogging" [Most Valuable Network]

"Long Term Shortstop" [Boston.com]
Amalie Benjamin visits Julio Lugo in Santo Domingo.

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